


She says he was an handsome man and came from the sea

by GwenChan



Series: Chronicles of a family [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: AU_Humans, All Human AU, F/M, Nyotalia, Theater - Freeform, WW2, War, World War 2, World War II, screenplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 17:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6763294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwenChan/pseuds/GwenChan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>1943. American soldiers have arrived in Sicily.<br/>Private Alfred F. Jones meets local girl Chiara Vargas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She says he was an handsome man and came from the sea

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a one shot I wrote in italian in 2011. And the OS is inspired by italian song "4/3/1943" by Dalla.  
> Prequel and related to "And I have caught the train":

**SHE SAYS HE WAS AN HANDSOME MAN AND CAME FROM THE SEA**

**Narrator:** I want to tell you a fairytale.

A fairytale from long ago, in a land made of sun and waves and orange juice. I heard it first during a trip, from two old men sitting at a pub – and let it stay between you and me – I still doubt they’ve told the truth. But it was a good story, so today I want to tell you it.

 

It all starts in a small village, on an island, in a slight bigger country during war.

 

[SCENE CHANGES TO A TAVERN]

( _People chatting_ )

 **Man1** : so it’s true. And to say it was such a well behaved family!

 **Man2** : maybe once, but now! You heard about the little one …

 **Man3** : shut up! Do you want to lure bad luck! What a deplorable girl!

 **Man4** : and I’ve heard the sons went into hiding.

 **M1** : it’s a luck you die just one time. Otherwise the mother …

 **M2** : so now there’s only Chiara

 **M3** : such a big family

 **M4** : blame the war! Blame those Germans and these Americans!

[SCENE CHANGES. CHIARA APPEARS]

_(To the audience)_

**Chiara** : They’re all so worried! Fool! And these Americans, these soldiers, these boys, with such frenzy.

They all run too much.

The world is slow, it has its rhythmus, still it has never stopped.

No matter how much you suffer or worry. The world goes on, day after day, year after year, century after century, in a never-ending flow.

This mad, stupid war destroyed my family, but who will remember it in a thousand years? We’re only ants, miserable creatures passing by.

Even the invaders who have walked on these shores for years … where are their footprints now? The sea, the sea that nourishes us and kills us, the sea that swallows fishermen the night and we have to worship like an old god, washed them away.

Frenchmen, Germans, Americans! It doesn’t matter!

Americans! They’re kids, still smelling of milk.

They sent boys to free us!

 

[SCENE CHANGES. CHIARA IS WALKING]

 **C** : oh, look! Look around! Americans! They pop up like mushrooms!

 **Alfred** : miss! “Signorina”! Let me help you!  
**C** : here it comes another one! ( _Speaking with scorn)_

Go back to your errands, I can manage it myself!

( _Undertone, to the audience_ ) To tell you this, this one always sticks to me for dear life.

 **C** : Are you always so prone to help people?

 **A** : ( _speaking in a iffy Italian_ ) Well, I don’t know about all the others. But I am, and I’m a good representative of the category.

 **C** : eh, the category! Instead, go and tell that, if you don’t speed up a little, we’ll free Italy by ourselves.

A: I would like so. But superiors decide. We just have to wait.

[SCENE CHANGES. CHIARA IS SITTING ON A SMALL WALL] 

 **Man** : there's a package from your sister!

 **C** : I don’t want it. Give it to others. I don’t know what to do with that foolish girl’s gifts. ( _pause_ ) Oh, just give me that! I’ll use for something! 

( _To the audience_ )

She believes this way I’ll forgive her! That I’ll forget that one Sunday, after mass, you see, with still the taste of the holy wafer on the tongue, she announced that ( _she lowers voice_ ) she fell in love with a German soldier. She cried, she told me I didn’t – I couldn’t understand. She loved him! Ah!

For me she’s dead. Like my mother, may her soul rest in peace.

[SCENE CHANGES. CHIARA’S ON THE SEASHORE] 

 **C** : my brothers are always so dirty. If SS don’t kill them, lice will do the job. ( _She points at a basket full of clothes_ )

Ehi, what are you doing? ( _Alfred takes the basket from her_ )

 **A** : May I help you? ( _Speaking in English_ ). Can I help ( _in Italian)_.

 **C** : ( _studying him_ ). Oh, all right! Just be careful. Your clothes too need a good wash!

 **A** : I’ll wash when I go home. A good, long, hot bath. They smell nice ( _burying his face in the wet clothes_ ).

 **C** : we can arrange it. It’s not a problem!

 **A** : I don’t want to bother you (he _repeats two times, the second one in Italian_ )

 **C** : don’t worry, as long as you don’t bring all the regiment with you. Now, be helpful, take that side (indicating a sheet). Yes, that one!

 _(To the audience_ )

If he can use a gun as well as he folds sheets, well we are safe! Oh, maybe he’s just very good with housework and bad with war. Who knows? Americans! What does he do back home? Does he have a family? Brothers? Sisters? What will he do after all this, if he survives?

 

 **C** : (shouting _to Alfred who is now undressing and running toward the see_ ) Be careful! There’s a storm in the air.

 

[SCENE CHANGES. CHIARA IS READING A LETTER. ALFRED IS BATHING]

 **A** : I wanted a hot bath! This isn’t a hot bath! 

 **C** : _(To the audience)_ Oh my god. What can I do with him! He’s so damn sensitive to the cold. I myself prepared the water, I warmed it in the kitchen, I checked the temperature, and I poured it in a big tin, here in the yard.

( _After having rubbed Alfred_ ). Now you look good!

 **A** : letter?

 **C** : what? Yes, a letter, from my brother. 

 _(To the audience)_  

Words, only words. I don’t have to worry. Everything will be fine. They would tell me so even under enemy’s fire, all is fine. 

 **C** : They do their best to keep me calm. You know, being able to write is a great thing, even if ungrammatical. Also read! I can read, you know! Even if, well, it’s strange for a woman. You know, reading is not necessary when you have to cook or wash dishes. Can you read?  
**A** : ( _trying to speak Italian_ ). I attend university. Harvard. It’s very famous ( _in English_ ). Very famous in my country. If I don’t die, I’ll finish my studies.

 **C** : _(to the audience)._ So this is. Maybe this man didn’t want to come here and fight for us, on stranger land. Maybe he enrolled like many others, with ears full of exciting and false promises. Maybe he misses home.

Oh, may the Virgin Mary watch over my sister.

May this soldier, this man, know death only when he’ll be old and covered in wrinkles.

 

[CHANGE SCENE. ALFRED IS KISSING CHIARA ON THE TEMPLE]

 **C** : ( _hitting him_ ) What are doing?

_(To the audience)_

Does he think he can put his hands on me, just because I was kind? Oh he got it so wrong! 

 **A** : only a kiss ( _in English_ ). I leave tomorrow. We leave tomorrow.

 **C** : _(to the audience)_. He’s just a big boy. I know. He’s afraid, beneath his mask, looking for reassurance and courage. Does he have a girlfriend, who waits for him in America? A girlfriend ready for marriage. 

 **C** : ( _to Alfred)._ Ok, just one, eh ( _They kiss_ )

 **A** : it’s sweet. You’re sweet. ( _They embrace. The stage goes dark._ )

 

 **Narrator** : _(appearing on the left side of the stage. To the audience)_ Who knows, maybe he thought Chiara was bitter like the sea, but she was kind and sweet like red oranges.

 

[SCENE CHANGES]

 **Man** : they left! American left! Leaving behind our white houses, occasional love stories, our children, craving for soldiers’ chocolate bars.

 

The road for Rome is long and full of traps

 

 **N** : Chiara never met Alfred again. She never knew if he died in battle or if he went back to his university; if he built a family or if his only night of love was the one with her. She tried to discover it, but never knew.

The child she carried for nine months and raised, a kid with sand blond hair and sea blue eyes, was his only memento.


End file.
